K. Amato Jewelry

I went to a K. Amato jewelry party a while back and loved all the jewelry I bought. Her stuff is so cute and unique! I just recently came across her website. I was excited to see that you could buy some of her jewelry online. If you live in the midwest you can find her stuff in a some boutiques. A few Mark Shale stores also carry her line. Check out the store locator to see if her jewelry is available in a store near you. She also creates wedding jewelry tailored to fit your colors and personal style. Here are a few samples of her work.

Borrow Your Next Designer Handbag

I came across this site called "Bag Borrow Or Steal." For a monthly fee ranging from $19.95 up to $99.95 you can borrow a designer bag of your choice for as long as you want. These bags are guarenteed to be authentic. If you "fall in love with a bag" and want to keep it they will even give you quote so you have the option of buying it. They carry quite a few brands. Louis Vuitton, Kooba, Marc Jacobs and Chanel just to name of few. They don't seem to have very many of each brand. Maybe they are still working on building up their bag-stock or many of the bags are "borrowed."
If anyone is a member I would love to hear about the quality of the bags and if you are happy with the borrowing service.

Cute Cords

I love these cords by True Religion. The come is several colors. Shown here in chocolate brown. Cord are a great alternative to jeans - a little dressier but still fairly casual.

Club Monaco Coat

I love this wool military coat from Club Monaco. It perfectly completes this outfit.

Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney designed a line for H&M. It will be in H&M stores on November 10. Can't wait to check out "the best of Stella." I welcome her skinny pants and rock n' roll style. I think it's great when high-end designers create a less expensive line - afterall we can't all afford to spend $500+ on a single item of clothes.

On a related note, Kate Moss was replaced by Italian model, Mariacarla Boscono, after her little cocaine-mishap. The resemblance between the two models is quite obvious. I think Kate's incident has unintentionally helped H&M promote Stella McCartney's new line.

My New Boots...

I love these new Steve Madden boots I bought at Nordstrom. Another impulse purchase on my way home from work. They are exactly what I've been looking for. They have a nice heel, are warm and not too expensive. They zip up so I can tuck my pants or jeans in them. The fake fur is a perfect touch. I'm tired of tropping around Uggs...they really aren't flattering. Plus I can even wear these out at night. Sorry the picture isn't very clear - I had to enlarge it because the picture on the website was pretty small.

White Sox in the World Series

The White Sox only have to win 2 more games to win World Series!! They had a great win over the Astros last night. So I searched all over for a cute t-shirt...this is the best I could find. MLB apparel just isn't up to par!
I found this one on MLB.com. If someone find a cuter t-shirt please let me know!

Fab Finds from Urban Outfitters

These are all very in-style pieces that won't break the bank! All available at Urban Outfitters.

James Perse Tees & Tanks

I love James Perse tees and tanks. They are so comfortable and wash so well - they don't shrink and hold their shape. They are also great for laying. Blush has lots of them, some of which are on sale.

Cute Shoes From Zapatos.com

So many shoes, where will I wear them all!?!

GO White Sox!

The White Sox beat the Angels last night so now they are going to the World Series! GO White Sox! My boyfriend, the most devoted fan I've ever met, is absolutely ecstatic. It's very cute. I tried finding some stylish, women's White Sox apparel to showcase but unfortunately that's one area the team is lacking. I think I'll have to just wear black and white if I'm lucky enough to go to one of the games.

Rino

After the fashion show, we checked out a new lounge in my neighborhood called Rino. We will definitely be going back. It's trendy, open late and has a great vibe without being too pretenious.

Yuki's Fashion Show

Last night I took part in a fashion show for my friend Yuki. She recently started to design her own line of clothing. The fashion show was at Reserve, a trendy club in Chicago. Check out her site. Each piece is handmade and totally unique. Yuki did a fabulous job and the show was definitely a success!


Yuki with the little models.

Two examples of her garments.

Trend: Velvet

I'm not a huge fan of the velvet. For some reason it gives me flashbacks of uncomfortable holiday dresses I had to wear when I was little. I do love the velvet jackets though. Especially this one - I really like the details and the color. I think I'll make a trip to Nordstrom later today to buy it.

















This one is cute too if you are looking for a blazer cut.
















Here's my fav. This one is from Banana Republic . It's not as versatile as the other two though.

Zara

Chicago has just about any store you'd want and a plethora of cute boutiques. One thing it's lacking is a Zara. I always stop in Zara when I'm in Miami or New York. I love how Zara doesn't make a thousand of each item - so it's similar to a boutique in that they produce a limited number of each item. So you aren't going to pass 3 people on your way to work wearing your new sweater. Maybe they will read this and put a Zara in Chicago (fingers crossed).

On another note, I'm surprised that stores like Zara and Express do not have online shopping. They are really behind the times and it could be hurting their business. Banana Republic and Gap are two stores that have great websites for online shopping.

Trend Chasing..

Keeping up with the trends these days is a never-ending battle. By the time you get your hands on that perfect pair of shoe, pants or bag it's already out of style. It can be down right exhausting. Plus clothes are becoming more expensive so your wallet might not allow you to buy every item of clothing you want.
The Latimes addressed trend chasing and how it's changed so much even since the 1990's. My take on all this is you can't keep up with every trend. You have to pick and choose the ones that you like - not every trend or style is going to look good on everyone. Somethings just aren't flattering or don't fit in with personal style. And besides, if you were decked out in every trend wouldn't you look so not-trendy?

Trend: Skinny pants

I'm rather tired of flared pants. I love these new skinny pants (by Chanel). Much classier too!

My internet has been down for 5 whole days while my condo building switched internet providers (I know... how dare they!). Anyway after over 30 minutes on the phone with the tech guy I'm up and running again. I found that not only do I miss writing but I really miss reading everyone else's blogs!

Fall Trends

Here's my favs:

• Tulip skirts (I found one I love at Benetton)
• Velvet...especially jackets
• Round toed pumps (including wedges)
• Boleros/shrugs (I think this one is going to be short lived)
• Romantic blouses (See my previous post)
• Tucking you pants in to your boots (Nordstrom has a great selection of boots)
• Long beaded necklaces
• Layering (Hence the whole boho-chic look)
• Tailored pants
• Tweed anything
• Cropped pants
• Black - I think black is always in but designers/magazines are always saying "black is back."

The trend I HATE:

Celebrity purfumes!! Why does every celebrity feel the need to create their own perfume? I'm sorry Sarah Jessica, as much as I love you/Carrie Bradshaw/Janey Glen ("Girls Just Want to Have Fun") I just don't think having your own scent is necessary. Here's a few of the other celebs that have jumped on the perfume bandwagon:

• Brittany Spears,
• Donald Trump (Are you kidding me? Who wants to smell like an old man with a toupee!)
• Beyounce
• Jessica Simpson
• J. Lo
• Celine Dion
• Hilary Duff

Trend: Romatic Tops

I love the romatic, ruffly tops I've seen popping up everywhere. The great thing about these is they easily transition from day to night. I think these tops look best with tailor pants so you don't over-kill the romatic look.

Available at Banana Republic.

Theory, available at Bloomingdale's.